Bowling ball carrier and the like



P 10, 1953 G. A. REBKA 3,103,266

BOWLING BALL CARRIER AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 17, 1961 ATTORNEYS,

Egg mmfla g Ohio Filed Aug. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 132,116

. 4 Claims. (Cl. 199-43) This invention relates to a bowling ball carrier and the like. In the past, bowling ball carriers have generally taken the form of a leather or canvas or other flexible material bag generally with a zipper opening and although a seat has generally been provided for the bowling ball in the bottom of the bag, the bag containing the ball has been unstable in that it could roll over, thus dislodging the ball from its seat and making the entire package awkward to handle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bowling ball carrier which will overcome the objections inherent in the prior art bowling ball bags and which will at the same time be just as convenient to carry, less expen sive to manufacture, and stable against accidental tipping over.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a convenient carrier for a pair of bowling shoes incorporated in the lid of the carrier.

These and other objects of the invention which will be described in greater detail hereinafter or which will be come apparent to one skilled in'the art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by that construction and United States Patent arrangement of parts of which I shall now describe an exemplary embodiment.

Reference is made to the drawings forming a part hereof and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 11 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view on a smaller scale taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the carrier on a still smaller scale.

Briefly, in the practice of the invention, I provide a generally rectangular carrying case in the form of a box with a hinged lid. The box or case is of such a length that it will accommodate a pair of bowling shoes lengthwise thereof and is of a width to accommodate a standard size bowling ball. On the inside of the bottom of the box or case I provide a circular annular seat in which a bowling ball may be disposed to locate it substantially centrally with respect to the bottom of the box. On the inside of the lid, also substantially centrally thereof, I provide a boss terminated in a resilient abutment member, the dimensions of the parts being such that pressure must be exerted on the lid of the case in order to latch it so as to compress the resilient abutment against the bowling ball seated in the annular abutment, whereby the bowling ball isfirmly positioned in the case against accidental dislodgement.

The lid is of sufiicient depth to accommodate a pair of bowling shoes lengthwise and the above mentioned boss is provided with a shoe retaining member which may be pivoted with respect to the boss so that when it is disposed lengthwise of the case, a bowling shoe may be inserted into the lid on each side of the boss and whereby when the retaining member is turned to a position transverse the length of the box the shoes will be retained in the lid out of contact with the bowling ball.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings, the case comprises a lower box-like portion 10 of generally rectangular shape and a lid portion 11 hinged thereto by means of the hinge structure 12. Catch elements are provided as at 13 to secure the lid in closed position and the lid is provided with the carrying handle 14-. The lid "ice may have a depressed portion 15 under the handle 14 to provide room for the fingers and thus permit the handle to be of less height. 1

The specific construction of the case, the details of the hinge, the details of the catches do not constitute a part of the present invention and may be varied widely to suit particular tastes. Beyond the requirement that the case have a generally rectangular bottom, the details of the configuration of the case may also be varied considerably.

The case may be made of various materials but it will preferably be made of one of the non-breakable plastics such as are used in-radio cabinets, safety helmets, and the like.

Within the box element 10 and substantially centrally of the bottom thereof, I provide a generally circular abutment 16 which may be provided with the bracing members 16a. The abutment may simply be in the form of a ring so that the ball actually rests on the bottom 17 of the case and is merely retained in position by the abutment against the ring 16;. It will of course be understood that the member 16'could be molded into a concave spherical configuration to fit the bowling ball fairly accurately.

On the inside of the lid11 and substantially centrally thereof, I provide a boss 18 which terminates in a resilient abutment 19. As the abutment is viewed in FIGURES 1 and 2, it is under a slight amount of compression. Thus if the catches 13 are open, the lid will spring open slightly and when it is desired to latch the lid in closed position, pressure must be exerted on the lid 11 to slightly compress the abutment 19. Preferably the abutment 19 on its ball abutting surface is concavely configured as at 1911 to fit the contour of the bowling ball.

From the foregoing description, it will be understood that when a bowling ball is seated on the member 16 and the lid 11 is closed and latched, the abutment member 19 securely holds the bowling ball 20 in position in the seat 16 so that it cannot roll around inside the case.

A shoe retaining element 21 is mounted on the boss 18. The element 21 may, of course, be fixed to the position shown, but alternatively it may be mounted for swiveling movement with respect to the boss as shown in the drawings. 'Ihe retaining element 21 extends from the boss in two diametrically opposed directions providing the support portions 22 and 23. The members 22 and 23- may bend or curve downwardly a slight amount as seen in FIG- URES l and 2..

When the member 21 is swiveled to a position lengthwise of the case, a bowling shoe may be inserted into the lid on either side of the boss 18. The member 21 may then be rotated to a position transverse the length of the box as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, whereby the members 22 and 23 will retain the bowling shoes in the lid out of contact with the bowling ball. The member 21 may of course be made of sheet metal or a suitable plastic material as desired. If the member 21 is fixed, the bowling shoes may simply be pushed under it lengthwise.

From a study of FIGURE 2 in particular, it will be observed that the center of gravity of the case with the bowling ball in position is low and because of the rectangular bottom 17 which extends beyond the diameter of the ball in all directions, the case is very stable and cannot be accidentally tipped over. For example, if it is placed on the floor of an automobile, it will not tip over and roll around when the automobile goes around the corner. Furthermore, if, as preferred, the case is made of one of the new non-breakable plastics, there is no problem with mildew, rotting and the like when the bowling ball and case are stored away during periods of non-use.

It will be clear that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and I, therefore, do not intend to limit myself otherwise than as set forth in the claims which follow.

Having now fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bowling ball carrier comprising a generally rectangular, self-sustaining box-like member having a hinged lid provided with a carrying handle, latch means for securing said hinged lid in closed position, a circular seating abutment centrally disposed in the bottom of said box-like member adapted to serve as a seat for a bowling ball, said lid having a centrally disposed boss terminating in a resilient abutment which, when said lid is closed is spaced from the bottom of said box-like member a distance less than the diameter of a bowling ball, whereby when a bowling ball is positioned in said seating abutment, pressure must be exerted on said lid to compress said resilient abutment in order to latch said lid, whereby said bowling ball is securely held in position in said carrier.

2. A bowling ball carrier according to claim 1, wherein the ball abutting surface of said resilient abutment is concavely shaped to the spherical configuration of a bowling ball.

3. A bowling ball carrier according to claim 1, wherein said case is of a length to accommodate a pair of bowling shoes lengthwise thereof and wherein said lid is of a height ito accommodate a pair of bowling shoes and wherein a shoe retaining element is mounted on said boss transversely of the length of said carrier, said retaining element being of a length substantially equal to the Width of said carrier.

4. A bowling ball carrier according to claim 1, Wherein said case is of a length to accommodate a pair of bowling shoes lengthwise thereof and wherein said lid is of a height to accommodate a pair of bowling shoes and wherein a shoe retaining element is mounted on said boss for swiveling movement about said boss, the Width of said retaining element being such that, When it occupies a position lengthwise of said case, a pair of bowling shoes may be disposed in said lid lengthwise thereof, one on each side of said boss, and the length of said retaining element being such that, when said retaining element is swiveled to a position transversely of the length of said case, said shoes will be retained in said lid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A BOWLING BALL CARRIER COMPRISING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR, SELF-SUSTAINING BOX-LIKE MEMBER HAVING A HINGED LID PROVIDED WITH A CARRYING HANDLE, LATCH MEANS FOR SECURING SAID HINGED LID IN CLOSED POSITION, A CIRCULAR SEATING ABUTMENT CENTRALLY DISPOSED IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID BOX-LIKE MEMBER ADAPTED TO SERVE AS A SEAT FOR A BOWLING BALL, SAID LID HAVING A CENTRALLY DISPOSED BOSS TERMINATING IN A RESILIENT ABUTMENT WHICH, WHEN SAID LID IS CLOSED IS SPACED FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID BOX-LIKE MEMBER A 